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The servant-leadership concepts of Robert K. Greenleaf

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ADRIAN GIORGIOV:

THE SERVANT LEADERSHIP CONCEPTS OF ROBERT K. GREENLEAF

Abstract

Robert K. Greenleaf (1904-1990) stands out as the person who introduced the term

"servant leadership" to modern times, and has captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands

of readers worldwide in the realm of education, business, and church life. The central meaning of

his theory is that the great leader is first seen as a servant to others, and this simple fact is a key

to his or her greatness. Greenleaf contends that it is possible to fuse the role of servant and

leader. This fusion was perfectly achieved in Jesus Christ, whose service during his earthly

ministry reflected a true servant leader.

The paper presents the characteristics of a servant leader and of a servant institution,
then discusses the concepts of servant leadership in churches. It concludes with an evaluation of

strengths and weaknesses of the concepts, followed by theological perspectives on the issues.

Key words:

Servant leadership, trustees, servant institution, core values

1
 2

INTRODUCTION

Among the prominent personalities who spent a considerable amount of energy and

dedication to effective leadership is Robert K. Greenleaf. He was concerned about the

effectiveness of both individual leaders and institutions. He wants to help those leaders who have

tried to live in the confusion and ambiguity of their work by themselves.

Greenleaf is convinced that the truly energetic organizations are not places to which

people escape; they demand time, involvement, participation from the people. He expresses his

belief in the necessity of using operating as well as conceptual talents in revolutionizing our

society. The operating talent carries the institution toward its objectives. Conceptual talent sees

the whole in perspective. Institutions need an optimal balance between the two types of

leadership. This paper will give an overview of the basic leadership concepts of Greenleaf,

evaluate his strengths and weaknesses and, finally, view these concepts from theological

perspectives.
 SUMMARY OF BASIC LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS

Biographical Information

Robert Kiefner Greenleaf was born on July 14, 1904, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Upon his

graduation from Carleton College (1926), he went to work for AT&T and spent his first career of

38 years working with them, retiring in 1964 as vice-president for Management Research. Just

before his retirement, he held a joint appointment as visiting lecturer at Sloan School of

Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and at the Harvard Business

School. In addition, he has held teaching positions at both Dartmouth College and the University

of Virginia.

His consultancies include Ohio University, M.I.T., Ford Foundation, R.K. Mellon

Foundation, Lilly Endowment and the American Foundation for Management Research.

Greenleaf's religious background (Quaker) is reflected in the principles and illustrations

used in most of his writings. He died on September 29, 1990 at the age of 86, after suffering a

series of strokes.1

Servant Leadership

The idea of servant leadership was crystallized as Greenleaf read Herman Hesse's short

novel, Journey to the East. Greenleaf came to the understanding that the central meaning of the

novel was that the great leader is first seen as a servant to others, and that this simple fact is a key

to his or her greatness.

1Alfonso A. Narvaez, "Robert K. Greenleaf, 86, Pioneer of Humanist

Business Philosophy," New York Times, 2 October 1990.

3
 4

In 1970, at the age of 66, Greenleaf wrote a small essay called The Servant As Leader,

which introduced the term "servant leadership". Since that time, this modest, 32-page essay has

captured the imagination of hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide. In it, Greenleaf

described some of the characteristics and activities of servant leaders, providing examples which

show that individual efforts, inspired by vision and a servant ethic, can make a substantial

difference in the quality of society.

Definition of Servant Leadership

The central definition of servant leadership, as stated by Greenleaf is, as follows:

It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious
choice brings one to aspire to lead. The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the
servant--first to make sure that other people's highest priority needs are being served.
The best test, and difficult to administer, is: do those served grow as persons; do they while
being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to
become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they
benefit, or at least, not be further deprived?2
Being servant first means that "leadership was bestowed upon a man who was by nature

a servant. It was something given, or assumed, that could be taken away. His servant nature was

the real man, not bestowed, not assumed, and not to be taken away."3 "The leader-first and the

servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of

the infinite variety of human nature."4 Servant leaders are not merely servants of what is, but
shapers of what might be.

2Robert
K. Greenleaf, Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of
Legitimate Power and Greatness (New York: Paulist Press, 1977), 13.
3Ibid., 8.
4Ibid., 13.
 5

"The followers will freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders

because they are proven and trusted as servants."5 The followers accept the leadership because

the other sees more clearly where it is best to go.

Characteristics of the Servant Leader

According to Larry Spears, the executive director of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for

Servant-Leadership, there are ten key elements of servant leadership described by Greenleaf.6

The first one is listening receptively to what others have to say. In the Situational Leadership

model the leader needs to know the followers' level of readiness. Receptive listening is one of the

essential ways of acquiring the necessary information and determine the readiness level.

Second, the servant leader accepts others and has empathy for them. The servant never

rejects but always accepts the person. "Sometimes he refuses to accept some of the person's

effort or performance as good enough."7

Third, the servant leader has foresight and intuition. The leader needs a sense for the

unknowable and to foresee the unforeseeable. These are usually not formally assessed in an

academic way.8 Foresight is the "lead" that the leader has. The loss of leadership is often due to

the failure "to foresee what reasonably could have been foreseen, and from failure to act on that

5Ibid., 10.
6Larry
C. Spears, "Servant Leadership: Quest for Caring Leadership,"
Inner Quest 2 (1994): 2.
7Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 20.
8Ibid., 21-2.
 6

knowledge while the leader had freedom to act."9 Through intuition, the leader bridges the gap

between the available solid information and what is needed.10

Fourth, the servant leader has awareness and perception. These allow the leader to

discern between the urgent and the important.

Fifth, the servant leader has highly developed powers of persuasion. The leader

initiates, provides the ideas and the structure, and takes the risk of failure along with the chance

of success.11

Sixth, the servant leader is able to conceptualize and to communicate concepts. He or

she always sees the goal and can articulate it for any who are unsure. Greenleaf uses the term

goal in the special sense of overarching purpose, big dream, visionary concept.

Seventh, the servant leader recognizes that servant leadership begins with the desire to

change oneself. "If a flaw in the world is to be remedied, to the servant the process of change

starts in here, in the servant, not out there."12 The last three characteristics are the ability to exert

a healing influence upon individuals and institutions, building community in the workplace, and

practicing the art of contemplation.

Spirit

Greenleaf is an advocate of the restoration of a word fallen into disuse. "That word is
entheos, from the same roots as enthusiasm, which means possessed of the spirit."13

There are eight indicators of the existence of entheos. First, the existence of two

paradoxes, a concurrent satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the status quo. Second, a concurrent

9Ibid., 26.
10Ibid., 23.
11Ibid., 15.
12Ibid., 44.
13Robert K. Greenleaf, Teacher As Servant: A Parable (Newton Centre,

MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1979), 60.

 7

feeling of broadening responsibilities and centering down. Third, a growing sense of purpose in

whatever one does. Forth, there are changing patterns and depths of one's interests. Fifth, as

entheos becomes a more constant companion, one moves toward the minimum of difference

between the outside and inside images of the self; "one becomes more willing to be seen as one

is."14 Sixth, one becomes conscious of the good use of time and uncomfortable with the waste of

time. Seventh, a growing sense of achieving one's basic personal goals through one's work is

achieved. Finally, there is a developing view of people. "All people are seen as being to be

trusted, believed in, and loved; and not as objects to be used, competed with, or judged."15 The

ultimate test of entheos is an intuitive feeling of oneness, of wholeness, of rightness.16

The Servant Institution

In 1972, Greenleaf published a second essay, The Institution As Servant, which was

based on the idea that institutions could also be servants. Greenleaf said that much of the caring

for persons in today's society is mediated by large, complex institutions. He challenges

conventional wisdom about hierarchical organization and the use of power in major

institutions.17

"If a better society is to be built, . . . , then the most open course is to raise both the

capacity to serve and the very performance as servant of existing major institutions by new
regenerative forces operating within them."18

Greenleaf defines institution as "a gathering of persons who have accepted a common

purpose, and a common discipline to guide the pursuit of that purpose, to the end that each

14Ibid., 62.
15Ibid., 63.
16Ibid., 64.
17"Who
was Robert K. Greenleaf?" Available from http://
www.greenleaf.org/rkgbio.html. Accessed 10 October 1997. Internet.
18Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 49.
 8

involved person reaches higher fulfillment as a person, through serving and being served by the

common venture, than would be achieved alone or in a less committed relationship."19

The attitude of the institution toward work is that "work exists as much for the

enrichment of the life of the person who does it as for the service of the person who receives the

benefit of it or the reward to the investor who put up the money to do it."20

Core Values

In a servant institution, there are some basic principles about purpose and structure that

make it different. These are the core values of that institution. Commitment and evaluation are

important values. For instance, Greenleaf gives the example of a church where each member

reviews his commitment to the church each year and discusses it with others.21

Questioning relates not only to the act of listening but it is "one of the most effective

means by which the servant is able to relate to the consciousness and conscience of others."22

Students need to learn that it is a high form of art to ask the right questions.23

Organization Traditions

There are two organization traditions that have strongly influenced the way people lead.

The hierarchical tradition comes down from Moses. This principle places one person in charge

as the lone chief atop a pyramidal structure. This tradition holds that one person responsible. At
the same time, "the natural reaction to a call for stronger leadership is to try to strengthen the

control of the one person at the top."24 This system, as Greenleaf observes, is abnormal and

19Ibid., 237.
20Greenleaf, Teacher As Servant, 124.
21Ibid., 146.
22Ibid., 120.
23Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 188.
24Ibid., 61.
 9

corrupting. The pyramidal structure weakens informal links and "dries up channels of honest

reaction and feedback."25 A self-protective image of omniscience often evolves from the filtered

communications, and the person atop the pyramid experiences real loneliness.

The second tradition comes down from Roman times. It is the form where the principal

leader is primus inter pares--first among equals. The leadership abilities of that person are

constantly tested among a group of able peers.26

The primus inter pares is responsible that each of the people will make their optimal

contribution to the whole with their talents. An advantage of this system is that collegiality

favors the growth of the individuals in the group as persons, as people whose full human

potential is worked toward. "People are not used up by the struggle; they do not 'burn out' after a

few years."27

Formal and Informal Structure

An institution has two types of organizational structure: formal and informal. The

formal structure consists of the more or less definite arrangements and ways of working, which

are delineated in various documents. The informal structure responds more to leadership and it

involves building purpose and challenging with opportunity, judicious use of incentives, astute

ordering of priorities, and allocating resources where they count the most. "The result is team
effort and a network of constructive interpersonal relationships that support the total effort. . . .

These informal initiatives are the 'glue' that holds the formal structure together and makes it

function well."28

Power and Servanthood

25Ibid., 63.
26Ibid., 61.
27Greenleaf, Teacher As Servant, 123.
28Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 60.
 10
The powerful can best serve as they use their power to make serving institutions of those
they influence or control. . . . Servanthood is ultimately tested wherever one is with one's
power! . . . The primary moral test is what one does with one's power--in those places
where one's power is greatest.29
Humbly receiving is, according to Greenleaf, the best protection against the arrogance

of power.30 Coercive power is sometimes overt and brutal, other times it is covert and subtly

manipulative. The trouble with coercive power is that it only strengthens resistance. If it is

successful, its controlling effect lasts only as long as the force is strong. Trustees hold ultimate

power but they do not use it operationally. Yet they are responsible for its use.

Trustees

As he continued to reflect on the way organizations operate, Greenleaf realized that

institutions were controlled by trustees. This reflection prompted a third essay in 1974, Trustees

As Servants, in which he seeks to address the needs of senior executives for sustained, caring

(but demanding) assistance from able trustees.31

Two Teams

An effective institution is led by two strong teams: the trustees and the leadership.

"Trustees supply the standard of quality and determination so that the institution could be

exceptional."32 They are the pacesetters. Trustees care for all of the people the institution

touches.33

29Greenleaf, Teacher As Servant, 68.

30Ibid., 196.
31"Who
was Robert K. Greenleaf?" Available from http://
www.greenleaf.org/rkgbio.html. Accessed 10 October 1997. Internet.
32Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 51.
33Ibid., 55.
 11

The institution where there is a low level participation of board members and a single

chief executive is a clear design for mediocrity.34 There is a difference between the active

administrators and the trustees. The administrators are too involved to have objective judgment

about top level organization. "That is why trustees with their relative detachment from

administration are so important."35

Greenleaf goes back to the story of Moses, as his father-in-law, Jethro, advices him to

delegate the work. "In the end the Lord sacked Moses. Why? Because in that dramatic incident

of drawing water from the rock he acted as if he were God. This confirms the fatal flaw in

Jethro's advice."36 The delegation of work was important; however, according to Greenleaf,

missing was the necessary guardianship of strong trustees.37 The abuse of power is curbed if the

holder of power is surrounded by equals who are strong. Greenleaf insists that no one is to be

entrusted with the operational use of power without the close oversight of fully functioning

trustees.38

Tasks of Trustees

"Defining the institution and stating its goals and purposes is probably the most critical

task that confronts trustees. Everything else that trustees do rests on this one basic decision."39

Trustees are important because the leadership of an institution needs them, if the leaders
want to remain effective. "Few of us, regardless of how able, have the ability to perform

34Ibid., 83.
35Ibid., 57.
36Ibid., 84.
37Ibid., 84.
38Ibid., 117.
39Ibid., 87.
 12

consistently at a high level of excellence, to set the goals for our own performance, and to judge

our own performance objectively."40

Servant Leadership in Churches

Greenleaf does not confine his views to the church or educational institutions.

However, the servant leader style is most fitting in the church. He speaks of a "growing edge"

church that would live up to its opportunities in our world.

Greenleaf brings up a theory of prophecy which holds that prophetic voices are

speaking cogently all of the time. The variable that marks some periods as barren and some as

rich is in the level of seeking of the hearers. It is seekers who make the prophets.41 Greenleaf

himself is a seeker. He embodies what he claims seekers need to be doing. "By their intense and

sustained listening they will make the new prophet who will help them find that wholeness that is

only achieved by serving."42

Society is in great need of ethical leaders "to go out ahead to show the way so that the

moral standards and the perceptions of the many will be raised, and so that they will serve better

with what they have and what they know."43

Religious leadership is needed to respond to widespread alienation in all sectors of

society as well as to many institutions' inability or unwillingness to serve society. The primary
mission of the seminary should be leading and supporting churches as influential institutions.

40Ibid., 99.
41Ibid., 219.
42Ibid., 222.
43Ibid., 228.
 13

EVALUATION OF STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The concepts of leadership espoused by Greenleaf come largely out of his own

experience and from watching and talking to able practitioners.44 Servant leadership is a practical

philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding

service to individuals and institutions. Servant leadership encourages collaboration, trust,

foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment. Greenleaf rightly points out

that competition is a powerful motivating force, but it is a low-grade and debasing motivation.

Greenleaf is an advocate of persuasive power. He rejects coercive power, although it

may have a certain role according to the situational leadership model, especially in the case of

the lowest readiness level.45

Greenleaf is a strong supporter of large organizations. He contends that small

organizations cannot make a big difference in shaping society. However, the history of many

organizations proves that a small beginning does not necessarily mean remaining small and

having no influence on society. The church and Christianity itself was a small beginning and has

been a powerful change agent in many societies for the last two millennia. At the same time,

large organizations may actually hinder the implementation of changes. In many cases even large

churches can become irrelevant, mediocre, and obstruct transformation in the lives of individuals

in particular and society in general.

44Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 3.

45Hersey and Blanchard, 236.
 THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

Greenleaf expresses his belief that the only way to change society is to produce enough

people who will change it. The doctrine of redemption claims the same belief. It is possible to

change the society if there are enough people who are changed; and the ultimate transformation

is clearly expressed by the doctrine of Eschatology, which reminds us that a perfect "society"

will become reality in the new world.46 Meanwhile, those who are already citizens of that still

invisible world can make a difference in this present world, being the salt and light of it.47

Most institutions have too few leaders because they are structured so that only one at

the time can emerge. "When there is but a single chief, there is a major interruption when that

person leaves."48 The Bible gives such examples, and an even worse situation occurs when the

leader does not train other potential leaders in order to avoid such major interruptions. The

example of the period of judges is classical. After Joshua was entrusted by Moses with the

leadership of Israel, he failed to train other potential leaders and the result was that the

subsequent period is described in the Book of Judges as every man doing what was right in his

own eyes.49
One of Greenleaf's examples of awareness and perception is the story of Jesus when

confronted with the woman taken in adultery. When Jesus silently writes in the sand, he actually

withdraws for a short time to cut the stress and open his awareness to creative insight.

46Rev. 21:1-5.
47Matt. 5:13-16.
48Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 64.
49Judg. 21:25.

14
 15

Greenleaf's philosophy of leadership is value-driven, supporting people who wish to

serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding service to their families, friends, teams,

institutions, and communities.

According to the biblical account in the book of Genesis, work was given to man before

the Fall. Work was intended to be a blessing, not a curse. The Fall had consequences on every

aspect of human life, including work. The principles of servant leadership can change the way

people approach work and empower them, leading to the liberation of the human spirit.

The team-oriented approach to leadership is not new. The New Testament considers the

church a living body, an organism in which all the parts are essential, and each of the parts has a

well-defined role. The ministry of the church was intended to be performed by the whole body,

and those who lead the church are, as Greenleaf leads us to see, primus inter pares.

Servant leadership reminds those who are in leadership positions that their primary

responsibility is in serving others. Jesus Christ had the same attitude when he said that "whoever

would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be

your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a

ransom for many."50

Greenleaf contends that it is possible to fuse the role of servant and leader. This fusion

was perfectly achieved in Jesus Christ, whose incarnation and service during his earthly ministry
reflected a true servant leader. "To become a servant leader, therefore, requires the desire to

reflect through our leadership that which we see in God,"51 his incarnation and servant attitude

displayed in the life of Jesus Christ.

Human nature, with all of its imperfections, is still able to learn how to live better by

serving. The ability to serve and to lead at the same time, despite of our imperfections, is in a

50Matt. 20:26-28.
51Norman Shawchuck and Roger Heuser, Leading the Congregation: Caring

for Yourself While Serving the People (Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1993), 35.
 16

sense a reminder of the fact that humans are still the bearers of God's image, even though that

image was distorted by sin.

Acceptance of persons requires a tolerance of imperfection. "Anybody could lead

perfect people--if there were any."52 It is part of the enigma of human nature that the imperfect,

immature person is capable of great dedication if wisely led. The servant leader can lead an

immature follower along Argyris's Immature-Mature Continuum in a wise way.53 Ken

Blanchard's one minute reprimand is in consonance with Greenleaf's statement that "people grow

taller when those who lead them empathize and when they are accepted for what they are, even

though their performance may be judged critically."54

Power is benign when, in the course of using it, both the user and the subject grow as

persons, when they become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to

become servants.55 "Power is malignant force when people are coerced by it. No one grows when

coerced. The best that can be hoped for is that they will conform--not a very happy state."56

Compared this with the Situational Leadership Model it seems that it does not agree that for the

lowest readiness level coercive power may be used. Also, theologically this statement can pause

some problems. The Bible abounds with cases when God had to utilize coercive power.

Greenleaf contends that "the enemy is strong natural servants who have the potential to

lead but do not lead, or who choose to follow a non-servant."57 This is a realistic observation in
light of the servant leadership model; however, he does not go into details concerning the

52Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 21.

53Hersey and Blanchard, 73-75.
54Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 21.
55Greenleaf, Teacher As Servant, 77-8.
56Ibid., 210.
57Greenleaf, Servant Leadership, 45.
 17

motives and reasons that are behind such actions. In light of the biblical revelation, the situation

described by his is the result a fallen world, and the image of the enemy is a complex one.

CONCLUSION

Greenleaf is concerned about the leaders, but his frame of reference seems to be

broader. He proposes that his servant-leadership model could bring change not only to

leadership-effectiveness, but also revolutionize institutions and, in the long run, change the

society.

"Reducing mediocrity in positions of influence . . . is a manageable task with our

available resources. . . .it will be done on a substantial scale when the people . . . concentrate on

the one thing that will turn us about the quickest: excellence in place of mediocrity."58

APPENDIX

What Does the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership Do?

Originally founded in 1964 as the Center for Applied Ethics, Inc., the Center was
renamed the Robert K. Greenleaf Center in 1985. The Center is an international, not-for-profit

institution headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Greenleaf Center's goals are:

58Ibid., 149.
 18
• To help deepen an understanding of the original ideas of Robert K. Greenleaf and the
principles of servant-leadership, via the preservation and promotion of his writings.
• To nurture colleagues and institutions by providing a focal point, and opportunities to
share thoughts and ideas on servant-leadership.
• To produce and publish new resources by others on servant-leadership.
•To connect servant-leaders in a network of learning.59

59Excerptfrom "What Does the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership

Do?" Available from http://www.greenleaf.org/goals.html. Accessed 10 October
1997. Internet.
 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Sources

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Greenleaf, Robert K. Advices to Servants. N.p., privately printed, 1975. Reprint, Indianapolis,
IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1991.
________. Education and Maturity. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1988.
________. Have You a Dream Deferred. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for
Servant-Leadership, 1988.
________. The Institution as Servant. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1972.
________. The Leadership Crisis. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1978.
________. The Leadership Essays. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1978.
________. Life's Choices and Markers. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for
Servant-Leadership, 1986.
________. Mission in a Seminary: A Prime Trustee Concern. Peterborough, NH: Windy Row
Press, 1981.
________. My Debt to E. B. White. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1987.
________. Old Age: The Ultimate Test of Spirit. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center
for Servant-Leadership, 1987.
________. Responsibility in a Bureaucratic Society. Millburn, NJ: Item Press, 1966.
________. The Seminary as an Institution. Indianapolis, IN: Lilly Endowment, 1980.
________. Seminary as Servant: Essays on Trusteeship. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf
Center for Servant-Leadership, 1983.
________. The Servant as Leader. Cambridge, MA: Center for Applied Studies, 1970.

1
 2
________. The Servant as Religious Leader. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for
Servant-Leadership, 1982.
________. Servant, Leader & Follower. New York: Paulist Press, 1978.
________. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness.
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________. Servant: Retrospect and Prospect. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for
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________. The Teacher As Servant: A Parable. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf
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Articles

Greenleaf, Robert K. "Future View: Futurist Lessons from Thomas Jefferson." The Futurist 31,
no. 2 (Mar. 1997): 68.
________. "Worse than Being an SOB." Across the Board 33, no. 1 (Jan. 1996): 12.
________. "Worse than Being an SOB." Federal Policy Watch 33,
no. 1 (1996): 12.

Audiovisuals

Greenleaf, Robert K. A Conversation on Servant Leadership. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 28 min.

Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1984.
________. Exploring the Paradox of Servant as Leader. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 13 min.
Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1988.
________. Life's Choices and Markers. 1/2" VHS videocassette,
19 min. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1984.
________. Robert K. Greenleaf on Assessment. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 20 min. Newton Centre,
MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1986.
________. The Servant as Leader Idea. 1/2" VHS videocassette,
29 min. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1986.
 3
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Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1988.
Franklin Trask Library (Andover Newton Theological School). Catalogue of Materials
Contained within the Robert K. Greenleaf Archives, Including a Greenleaf Chronology.
Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1990.
Fraker, Anne T. and Larry C. Spears., eds. Seeker and Servant: Reflections on Religious
Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Frick, Don M. and Larry C. Spears, eds. On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of
Robert K. Greenleaf. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Hersey, Paul, Kenneth H. Blanchard, and Dewey E. Johnson. Management of Organizational
Behavior. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996.
Hesse, Hermann. The Journey to the East. New York: Noonday Press, 1992.
Hoshaw, Ralph Bradley. "The Development of a Servant Leadership Style for the Central Baptist
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Kelley, Robert. The Power of Followership: How to Create Leaders People Want to Follow--and
Followers Who Lead Themselves. New York: Doubleday/Currency, 1992.
Mattson, Ralph T. Visions of Grandeur: Leadership That Creates Positive Change. Chicago:
Moody Press, 1994.
McSparron, Cecil. The Servant Leader in the New Testament: An Exposition with Special
Reference to the Works of Robert K. Greenleaf. M.C.S. thesis, Regent College, 1987.
Renesch, John. Leadership in a New Era: Visionary Approaches to the Biggest Crisis of Our
Time. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1994.
Rieser, Carl. Claiming Servant Leadership as Your Heritage. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K.
Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1988.
Shawchuck, Norman and Roger Heuser. Leading the Congregation: Caring for Yourself While
Serving the People. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1993.
Spears, Larry C., ed. Insights on Leadership. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for
Servant-Leadership, 1997.
________, ed. Reflections on Leadership: How Robert K. Greenleaf's Theory of Servant-
Leadership Influenced Today's Top Management Thinkers. New York: Wiley, 1995.
 4
Walker, Pamela Diane. "A Case Study of Servant Leadership." Ed.D. diss., University of San
Francisco, 1997.

Articles

Baumhart, R. "It's Not Easy Being a Manager and a Christian." America 164, 4 May 1991, 486-
9.
Bole, William, "Servant Leadership, a '70s Concept, Opens Doors to Possibilities." National
Catholic Reporter 30, no. 23,
8 April 1994, 4.
Egan, Terrence M. I. "Samaritan Leadership." Journal of Experiential Education. 17, no. 2 (Aug.
1994): 13-7.
"Greenleaf, Robert K., 1904-1990, Management Consultant." [Obituary]. The New York Times
Biographical Service 21 (Oct. 1990): 900.
"Greenleaf, Robert K., 1904-1990, Management Consultant." [Obituary]. The New York Times,
Early City Ed., 2 October 1990, B-6.
Hayes, Matthew. "Schools Strive to Develop Servant-Leaders." Business First of Louisville 12,
no. 26, 29 January
1996, 10.
Kiechel, Walter III and M. Rosenthal. "The Leader as Servant." Fortune 125, no. 9, 4 May 1992,
121-3.
Narvaez, Alfonso A. "Robert K. Greenleaf, 86, Pioneer of Humanist Business Philosophy." New
York Times, 2 October 1990.
Richards, Anthony and Robert Sigmon. "Seeking Roots: From Hahn to Greenleaf." Journal of
Experiential Education 5 no. 2 (Summer 1982): 22-5.
Spears, Larry C. "Servant Leadership: Quest for Caring Leadership." Inner Quest 2 (1994): 1-4.
________. "Reflections on Robert K. Greenleaf and Servant-Leadership." Leadership &
Organization Development Journal 17, no 7 (1996): 33.
________. "Robert K. Greenleaf: Servant-Leader." Friends Journal 37, no. 8 (Aug. 1991): 20.
Taylor, Sherry R. "Servant-leadership." Catalyst for Change 26 (Spring 1997): 5-7.

Audiovisuals

Autry, James. Love and Profit: Finding the Balance in Life and Work. 1/2" VHS videocassette,
80 min.
 5
Chappell, Tom. Managing for Profit and the Common Good. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 97 min.
Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1995.
Consensus Decision-Making. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 24 min. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K.
Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1987.
DiStefano, Joseph J. Servant Leadership: Quality Issues. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 61 min.
Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1992.
Greenbaum, Steve, ed. Hard Decisions: Today's Leader, a Good Servant. 1/2" VHS
videocassette, 14 min. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1989.
McGee-Cooper, Ann. An interview with Robert K. Greenleaf. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K.
Greenleaf Center, 1990. Sound cassette.
Robert K. Greenleaf, Servant Leader. 1/2" VHS videocassette,
13 min. Indianapolis, IN: The Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1992.
Senge, Peter. Robert Greenleaf's Legacy: Building Learning Organizations. 1/2" VHS
videocassette, 69 min. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-
Leadership, 1992.
The Servant as Leader. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership,
1994. Sound cassette.
Servant-Leadership: Why It Matters. 1/2" VHS videocassette,
45 min. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1992.
Spears, Larry, Newcomb Greenleaf, Paul Olson, and Robert Kelley. The power of Followership.
1/2" VHS videocassette, 103 min. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1995.
T.D. Industries: Servant Leadership in Business. 1/2" VHS videocassette, 14 min. Indianapolis,
IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership, 1992.

Reviews

Austin, Nancy K. Review of Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf. Working Woman 17,
no. 3 (Mar. 1992): 47.
DiMattia, Susan S. Review of On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of Robert
K. Greenleaf, by Don M. Frick and Larry C. Spears, eds. Library Journal 122, no. 5,
15 March 1997, 35.
Edge, F. B. Review of Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf. Review and Expositor 76
(Summer 1979): 446-8.
 6
Johnson, Edward R. Review of On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of Robert
K. Greenleaf, by Don M. Frick and Larry C. Spears, eds. Journal of Academic
Librarianship 23, no. 3 (May 1997): 245-7.
King, Cheryl Simrell. Review of On Becoming a Servant Leader:
The Private Writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, by Robert K. Greenleaf. Public
Productivity & Management Review. 20,
no. 3 (Mar. 1997): 336-46.
Langan, J. Review of Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf. Theological Studies 39 (Mar.
1978): 189-90.
Maxwell, Littleton M. Review of On Becoming a Servant-Leader:
The Private Writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, by Don M. Frick and Larry C. Spears, eds.
Library Journal 121,
no. 11, 15 June 1996, 75.
Review of On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of Robert K. Greenleaf, by Don
M. Frick and Larry C. Spears, eds. Journal of Academic Librarianship 22, no. 6
(Nov. 1996): 481.
Richardson, B. Review of Servant Leadership, by Robert K. Greenleaf. Christian Scholar's
Review 8, no. 3 (1978):
264-5.
Rouse, David. Review of On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of Robert K.
Greenleaf, by Don M. Frick and Larry C. Spears, eds. Booklist 92, no. 19-20, 1-15 June
1996, 1654.

Internet Resources

"The Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership" [world wide web page on-line].
Available from http://www.greenleaf.org. Accessed 10 October 1997. Internet.
"What Does the Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership Do?" Available from
http://www.greenleaf.org/goals.html. Accessed 10 October 1997. Internet.
"Who is the Servant Leader?" Available from http://greenleaf.org/who-issl.html. Accessed 10
October 1997. Internet.
"Who was Robert K. Greenleaf?" Available from http://
www.greenleaf.org/rkgbio.html. Accessed 10 October 1997. Internet.
 7

SELECTED AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON ROBERT K. GREENLEAF

The Institution as Servant. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership,
1972. After launching the concept of servant leadership, Greenleaf realized that
institutions could also be servants. This book deals with this subject. Its content is also
found in Servant Leadership.
The Servant as Leader. Cambridge, MA: Center for Applied Studies, 1970. This is the first
booklet Greenleaf wrote on servant leadership. Its content is repeated in his
comprehensive book, Servant Leadership.
Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York:
Paulist Press, 1977. This book contains most of Greenleaf’s ideas on servant leadership
written in other works.
The Teacher As Servant: A Parable. Newton Centre, MA: Robert K. Greenleaf Center, 1979.
This is a parable which illustrates Greenleaf’s servant leadership theory in clear,
practical ways.
Trustees as Servants. Indianapolis, IN: Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant-Leadership,
1974. As Greenleaf continued to reflect on the way organizations operate, he realized
that institutions were controlled by trustees. He wrote this book as a result of his
reflections. Its content is repeated in Servant Leadership.

Secondary Sources
Fraker, Anne T. and Larry C. Spears., eds. Seeker and Servant: Reflections on Religious
Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Frick, Don M. and Larry C. Spears, eds. On Becoming a Servant-Leader: The Private Writings of
Robert K. Greenleaf. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1996.
Both of these books are a compilation of Greenleaf’s theories found in his writings. They also
contain many of his unpublished materials.

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